CONTENT / The corner plays a very special role in any architectural scale. From the micro to the macro. It is the boundary of architectural spaces, both inside and outside. Corners define places and transitions; they mark beginnings and ends. Corners are the exceptions of any rule.
However, the corner has, for a long time been also an architectural theme (the Doric Corner Conflict) of rhythmic-harmonic transition from one side to another, of proportion, scale, dimension and creative materialized expression. The aesthetic solution of the corner is closely connected with the constructive solution.
At all architectural scales we find manifold examples and spatial situations where the corners play a special role representing unexpected creative design solutions: from furniture design to interior fit-out, in constructive details, in the building scale as well as in urban design. Depending on their function, their context, and the designers specific answer, corners appear in different shapes: right-angled, rounded, beveled, recessed, dissolved, different materializations or different roles as spaces of transition.
AIMS / Analyzing, understanding and visualizing the meaning of a self-selected corner, describing its role as the end of a grid, an architectural component of precise thought and materialization in different scales (multi scalar context).
METHOD /
- Identifying a corner of interest within an architectural or urban context (not forcibly made of stone)
- Exploring and analyzing its architectural specificities, function and materiality
- Determine defining the typology of the corner
- Documenting in form of
- line drawings (section, elevation, plan, axonometric projection)
- 3 photos (from context to detail)
- Presenting and discussing the findings
SCHEDULE / 2-Week Workshop. Weekly 4-hour class arranged with the students:
Introduction / 30 Apr 2021.
Development / 03-14 May 2021.
Final Crit / 14 May 2021.
EVALUATION /
Evaluation criteria:
- Originality of the chosen corner object.
- Clarity and depth of the analysis:
function, design, interaction and impact on the context, typological classification, materiality-immateriality. - Quality of the presentation material.
Learning outcome:
- Learning to identify and understand that architectural elements (here: corners) can have specific roles within different scales and contextual situations.
- Training analytical and presentation skills.
GUC German University in Cairo (EGYPT) /
Thomas Loeffler (th.loeffler@gmx.de)
https://vimeo.com/519679652